LEGO has to one of the most universal and creative toys in existence. It still captivates and inspires children of all ages think like an engineer and build something functional or simply fun.

As teachers we probably underestimate toys such as LEGO as powerful educational tools to help students learn.

Thankfully the good folks at LEGO education have put together a huge collection of lesson plans for teachers to use in the classroom covering all age groups and key learning areas.

Below is a simple idea based around 'The Hungry Catepillar' which uses LEGO to explain the lifecycle of insects.

LEGO Smart Creativity Contest EntryBy Moriah Slagell, One Day at A Time

1. I built a small caterpillar with just a few LEGO bricks to represent food 2. I added more bricks to the caterpillar and more food in front of him.(repeat 3 times) 3. Then, I took part of the caterpillar apart so I could build a cocoon then I slid the caterpillar inside. 4. Finally, I took apart the caterpillar and cocoon and made a butterfly out of the bricks.